Marching Ahead – Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd.

What started as a hobby, turned into a successful business. In 1973, a post graduate in agricultural sciences and an enterprising farmer Mandava Venkatramaiah set up a seed business. His son Prabhakara Rao, a post graduate and Gold Medalist in agriculture science took charge of his father’s seed business and transformed the company as a leader into the Indian seed industry.
Today, the Hyderabad based Nuziveedu Seeds is one of the leading agro-biotech companies in India and ranks No.1 in the commercial agricultural seeds market in India.
Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd is the largest hybrid seed company in India which develops, produces, and markets hybrid and varietal seed products and is the first private company to cross Rs.1000 cr. mark in sales.
The major success of the company is due to its focus on biotechnology to enhance the quality of seeds, Nuziveedu has its state-of-the art biotechnology laboratory with well equipped green house facilities, and a state-of-the-art bio-technology laboratory and germplasm banks and is recognized as an ICAR testing centre for cotton, maize, pearl Millet, sunflower and rice.

The R&D division has to its credit of discovering many world class hybrid seeds in cotton and has around 160 hybrids in its kitty which is far ahead of other players.

Other factor that helped the expansion of the company was the acquisition of three local based (Hyderabad) companies-Yaaganti Seeds, Pravardhan Seeds and Prabhat Agri Biotech. The acquisition of Yaaganti and Pravardhan, both core companies in crops, helped Nuziveedu to diversify besides cotton.

Besides these, Nuziveedu is also into vegetable seeds that are already showing a growth rate of more than 30%.

Nuziveedu has not restricted its activities within India. It has ventured into overseas market two years back – exporting crops and vegetable seeds to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya and Tanzania.

M Prabhakar RaoCMD, Nuziveedu Seeds

The driving force behind this fast moving front runner is the strong business acumen of the CMD, M.Prabhakara Rao, his foreseeing abilities of the growing market and the hardcore professionalism he is adopting in running his company.

Deservingly, Nuziveedu Seeds has got many recognitions and awards – DSIR Award for outstanding R&D achievements, Agriculture Leadership Award in 2009, the Bio Spectrum Awards thrice (2008, 2010 and 2011), High – Socio Economic Impact Award by FICCI in 2011, Public Private Partnership Award this year and the Agriculture Leadership Award for the second time this year.

(See Interview section for Ramesh Viswananthan, COO, on the current activities of Nuziveedu Seeds,)